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Copy 1 



ISSUES OF 
A NEW EPOCH 



IjiSe CoaLl Strike 

PaLivaLinaL 

PKilippiives ativd Cuba. 



BY 



Joseph Bucklin Bishop 

Author of **0\jr Politica.1 DrcimaL.** " CKeacp NoAey 
Exp«rinven(s,** Etc. 



Reprinted frotix 

"The InternaLtioneLl QxiOLrterly" 



K" 

f' 



NEW YORK 
SCOTT-THAW COMPANY 



542 Tifth Averwie 

1904 




(lass t: ? 5 s? 

Book » ^ ^^ 



M. 



ISSUES OF 
A NEW EPOCH 



The Coal Strike 

Panama 

Philippines and Cuba 

BY 

JOSKPII Hl'CKLIX BISHOP 

Author of ''Our Political Drinu," "Cheap Money Experiments,' 

Etc. 



RefrtnteJ from 

" The IrtttrnatiOTuil J^uartft ly " 



NKW YORK 

SCOTT- THAW COMPANY 

542 Fifth Avenue 
1904 



^158 



V, ( ) X 'I' !•; N 'I' s 



fAOr 

TifK CoAi. Stiiikt :{ 

1*ANAMA Kl ri lU.Il AM) CaNAI.. \{\ 

Coiirw of the AiiuTiran 0«i%'crmnrnt 10 

Why I In- Pn^idrnl wuh Pnuupi. \\\ 

Coinplic'ity und TniUy OhllgnllohH. i; 

Colnrnltia'H rgiirpiiif^ OovcniiiiMM I'.i 

HI II WoHK A- \ ( IVIIJZKU, ^'.\ 

Tlip New lii pulilic of Cnliii. j t 

IN-urt' uiul Prti^'n-HH in iIh- IMiilippiix^ 'i,k\ 

Till' Krijir>» IjintU jj 



05 



Copyilffat, 1903-1904, by F A. Riciiakd«o«. 
Cnj^fff. i()a4, by Jo<«r»« B»tklih Bt5Ror. 



ISSUES OF A NEW EPOCH 



IHl- COAL SIRIKE. 



THE anthracite ooal strike whicli was ended through the inter- 
vention of the rrpsi«lent in ()rt<)l)«M-, 1902, was not only the 
most serious contest of the kind this country has ever 
known, but the most serious that the worhl has known. Other 
strikes have involved a larijer number of men and have entailed 
nearly or quit«» as mucli fmanrial loss, Init none has atTccted the ])eo- 
ple of the tMitirc country to anything' like the extent wliich tliisone 
did, simply lK?cause none stop|>ed the prochiction of wliat has 
come to 1. :drd as a necessity of life. Of course' anthracite 

is not an 'a necessity of life. If the supply were to be ex- 

hausted tliis year, substitutes for it as fuel would i>o found. The 
world would have to leani to get on without it; but so long as 
I)eople regard it as a necessity, and so long as they know it exists 
and can Ir' obtained, they will not submit to having the supply 
cut oil witliout protest, more or less violent, accordin'g to tluMr 
needs and sufferings. That virtually all the people did believe 
in OctoU'r, 1*M^2, that anthracite was a necessity both to their 
comfort and their health, is not to be questioned. They l>e- 
lieved it so imi)licitly that nothing which could be sai<l to the 
contrary had any appreciable effect upon them. Their convic- 
tion was so strong that the mere threat of a coal famine sent a 
|»anicky feeling throughout every large city in the land In the 
country districts a sutficient sui)ply of wood could l)e obtained, 
Imt in the cities there was little or no hoj)e of doing so. Bitu- 
minous coal was an insufficient substitute because nearly all 
existing heating apparatus was not adapted to its use. Without 
anthracite, every household in a large city was threatened with 
discomfort and peril. It came about, therefore, that the whole 
population had an intense personal interest in the strike based 
upon two very strong reasons — first, danger to their individual 

3 



4 TUK COAL STIUKK. 



well-being; aiul, second, a heavy tux upon their resources to meet 
the higher cost of fuel of any kind. 

As weeks and months went by with one promise of settle- 
ment iifter anutljt-r proving a delusion, and with cold wiather at 
hand, this panicky feeling increased until it became a menace to 
the public safety. For tive umnths the mines had l)een idle, and 
while the coal operators declared that there was no dangt'r of a 
coal famine, it was within the knowledge of every householder 
that the famine was already in sight, it was oidy with^ extreme 
ditHculty tliat a single ton of coal could l>c obtained in New York 
and otlier large cities by a small coubumer, anil every householder 
who had neglected to put in his winter's supjdy in tlie spring 
found it impossiljle to obtain it except in small (pumtities and at 
steadily rising prices. Many dealers refus«'d to take orders ami 
most of them were entirely without a supply. In the presence 
of n condition like this it was worse than fo<dish for the mine 
owners to i)ersist in tlioir statement, ns they did ilaily, that there 
was no .scareity, for tluir denial of what t'vei-ybody knew to be 
the actual fact served to arouse popular distrust of them and to 
aggnivate rather than to ipiiet tlie general uneasiness. It was 
almost maddening to tell thousands of jK-oph* who had l)een try- 
i!ig in vain for <lay« and weeks to get coal that there was plentj' 
of coal to Ik» had and tliey were findisii to think tliere wjus not. 

When all etTorts to bring alKMit a settlement had failed, when 
the state of Pennsylvania had shown itself juiwerless to even 
maintain order in the coal n-gion, it was natural for the jn'Ople 
(.f the country to turn to the Federal govenuiMMit for aid. Tliis 
they Ingan to do early in (>«t<)b«*r, when tin* approach of cold 
weather sent a thrill of alarm throughout the land. Appeals to 
President Roo.sevelt ln-gan to pour in fr«»m all (piarteis, both 
from individuals and from ]H'rsons in authority. Governor Crane 
of Massachusetts, Mayor Low of New Vork City, and tlie heads 
of municipal governments giMienilly l)esought the President to 
use his go(»d offices in some way to bri- • ' nt an adjustment in 
order that the imminent j^eril of s. . . and riot might l)e 
warded from the land. The President couUl not be deaf to such 
ap|>eals. No president that tlie country hasev«r had could have 
l)een, for not only tlie comfort and lives of countless numl>ers of 
pe<»plewere threatened, but staWility and lawful government, and 
millions in property were at stake in everj' city of the land. The 
President had no authority in law and no pivcedent to sustain 
him. He was fully aware of this and he succeeiled by never los- 
ing sight of the fact that he had neither. No task that he had 



THE COAL JSTKIKE. 



undei-taken previously had involved so large an element of polit- 
ical risk as this did. It was an entirely new de])artiire. Noth- 
ing like it had ever been done by a i)resident. The great body 
of conservative opinion in the country had serious doubts about 
either the wisdom or the justification of the step. He felt moved 
to act because of tlie great j)ublic need and great public peril in- 
volved, and he could not escajH* the conviction tliat it was a mat- 
ter of simple «luty for him, as the people's president, to exert 
all the moral influence he had in the interest of the people. 
Criticism di«l not affect him at all, no matter what its source, 
once he had made up liis miml. He did not count the chances 
of ' or failure, and when he was told, as he was repeatedly, 

tliji. le would ruin him jmlitically, lie went steadily ami fear- 
lessly ahea«l. While l)oth sides to the quarrel repulsed his first 
efforts and i-efused to step up to the high ground of })ublic wel- 
fare u])on which he stood and to which he invited them, he per- 
severed in liis apjH'als to them till lM)th canu* in the end, if not 
willingly, at least with recognition of the fact that he had offered 
to them a way out withotit surrend«'r. He succeeded in this, as 
he succeeded in all otlier like endeavors, by l)eing open and 
straightforward in all his proceedings. He had no hidden end 
to serve; he leaned neither to one side nor to the other, but said 
simply, ** T offer you my service's as mediator in order that this 
cont4'st wliich so seri<msly threatens the welfare and the peace 
of the wliole country may Ik? brought to an end." His obvious 
sinceritv and siugh-ness of j>ur|M»s«' so impres.sed the wliole coun- 
try and, inde«'d, the wliole world, that the contcntliiig forces 
were fairly comjK^Ued to yield to his i)rojK)sals. The chorus of 
]»raise which arose from all (piarters of the land, and from all 
the leading (rtmntries of HurojM*, wlnn success was recorded, was 
something that no other ]»n*si<lent ha»l ivceived. He himself 
was unable to comprehend it and thought it undeserved. When 
it was spoken of in his presence, he said to his intimate friends, 
*' I am l»eing very nniclj over-praised by everybody. I do not 
deserve it. H really seems to me that any man of average cour- 
age and common sense, who felt as deeply as 1 did the terrible 
calamitv imiHMuling over our })eople, would have done just what 
1 did."' 

He was not the only ]>erson in the land who felt the gravity 
of the situation. It has been charged and is still charged by his 
critics that he did what no other president l^efore him had done 
and what few of them would have consented to do. It is no longer 
a secret that in all that he did he had the hearty approval and 



6 Till:: CUAL :SiKlKE. 



sympathy of ex-Pi-esiilent Cleveluutl. Early m his etforts to 
bring about peace between the mine operators and the miners, 
Mr. Clevelaiul tuok occa.sion to express liis conipK'te accord with 
him. On the day following the lirsl meeting U-lure the Presi- 
ilenl, at Washington, of the oix-i-ators and representatives of the 
strikers, which failed U'caiise of the refusal of the operators to 
consent to a eommi>si«»n of arbitration, Mr. Cleveland wrote to 
the President u letter whicli in adtlition to expressing approval 
of the l*resident's course, and some righteous indignation at the 
obstinacy of the contesuuits, contained suggestions for a plan of 
settlement, and gave a-s a reason for volunteering his view.s that 
Ins doing so would at leiist '* serve as an imlication of the anxiety 
felt by millions of our citizens on the subjirt." TIm* only living 
ex-l*resident, and the only l)enu»cratic Pn-sidnit that the coun- 
try has hail since the civil war, thus joined hands with the Re- 
publican President in Ijelieving that a cri.sis had arisen which 
w as .-50 grave as to justify extraordinary action by the Executive 
of the nation. It is als4> no longer a st»cret, that after recriving 
this letter from Mr. CleveliUid, President Uoosevelt asked him if 
he Would c»»nsent t4» U» u memU'r of a coir. - u of settle- 
ment and that Mr. Clevelantl replied in the . itiv.-. This 
acceptance jx«i-suade<l the I'resident to ap|K)int a commission with- 
out the consent of thr o).. • . in r.an' they continued in their 
refusal to give it, and he , ded to choose the members of it, 
with Mr. Cleveland as tlie first. The men whom he selected 
were mainly til u-ntly apj>ointed, but when the o|)era- 

tors ami their 1; ivs^K-iates heard of the President's pur- 

jx)8e and heard also of .Mr. Clevrland's mdeetion as mend>er of 
the commission, they made Inuste to give their consent to the jdan 
of arbitration, liut protested vig V i the selection of 

Mr. Clcvrland. They realized _, .,h what the moral 

etfeet would bt* uix)n the country of having it a]>iMar that the 
only living ex-President, who was also the most eminent Demo- 
crat in the land, stood shoulder to shoulder with l*ivsident 
Uoosevelt in what he had done and proi>osed to do. That would 
have endeil the "Constitutional " objection to Roosevelt's course 
at once ami foi-ever. 

Hut if the operators would not liermit Mr. Cleveland to 
serve on the commission, they did allow the President to api>oint 
to it a Demcx'iat who indisj.uUbly ranks next to Mr. Cleveland in 
ability and character, and in reputation for .sound Constitutional 
construction, when they coiKsented to the choice of Judge George 
Gray of Delaware. His approval of the President's course, ex- 



T11J-: tUAL .SIKllvi:. 



pressed after he liad coiulueted the iiuiuiiy to a successful coii- 
clusiou, shouhl Ix' a sutticient answer lo thi- criticisms wliich are 
made of the President's course. In an interview which was pub- 
lished in the New York "World," on Septeml>er 1, 190o, Judge 
< I ray said : 

-I biivi* luj hesitation in saying llmt the President (»i the luitetl iStates 
WH-s r.'! i in October. I'lxri. l»y tlie t-xistence of a crisis inon- grave 

and thi' - than any that had cKiurn-d sinee tht- civil war. 1 mean 

thai IheerNMiiion of mining in the anthracitr- eountry. brought about l)y 
the ilisputt- iM-iween th»' miners an<l those who «onln)ll<d the greatest nat- 
ural monopoly in this country and iK-'rhaps in the worUl. had brought upon 
more than (.ne-hulf of the American peoph; a ei.ndition of deprivation «.f 
one J)f the necessaries of life, and the probjibie continuance of the dispute 
ihrnUencil not onlv the ( onifort an«l lualth. but the safety and good ortler, 
of the nation. He' wa,s without hgal or eonstitiiiional powrr to interfere, 
but hiH position si> Pn-sidt-nt of the Tnileil Slates gave him an intlmnce. a 
h-ailemhip. as lir^t riii/.m of ilu- republir. thai mabhtl him to appeal to 
the patriotism and gtx^l sense of the parti«s to tluM ontrovc rsy and to place 
u|M)n them the moral c.K'rci(»n of pijblie opinion to agree t«) an arbitramint 
of the strike then existing and threfttening cons*quences so «lireful to the 
whole c«»untrv. lie a( ted promptly and eourageously. and in so iloiug 
averted the dang'-rs to whieh 1 have alluded. 

-So far fro: ug upon property riglits. the Presi- 

ilent'H action !' The peculiar sit uati<'ii, as regards 

the unlhnuite eoiil mterest. wus tlml llu-y eonlrolled a natunil nu)nopoly 
of B pnxlml neeivsjirv to the comfort and to the very life of a large por- 
tion of the jHopl,-. A prolonged deprivatit.n of the enjoyment of this 
necehs»iry of life w..ul<l hav.- tended to pn-eipitale an attack upon these 
prop«rtv rightH.)f which vou speak: for. afti-r all. it is vain to deny that 
this pr«»|H-rtv "iar fn its conditions, and which is properly spoken 

of as a natural ly. is alTecl<d with a public inti-rest. 

•*! do not lliink that any presid«nt ever act«d more wisely . (oura 
geouslv. or prt»mptlv in n iiati'..!):il < risjs. Mr. HtK)Sevelt deserves unstinted 
pmlw'for what he did 

It has always been contended l>y the President's critics that 
if lie had not intervened the strikers would have surrendered in 
a very short time. Thcvse who make this as.sertion overlook, in 
the first place, the fact that tlic oi»eratois had been for fully two 
months piedicting daily the end of the strike. Tli. y overlook, 
in the second place, the fact that under the Pennsylvania law 
the entire body of available mine workers was with the strikers. 

It was claimed by t lie mine ojUM-ators that only about one- 
half of the lal)orers' in the coal re^ncm were niembeis of the 
organization which, under Mr. Mitdndl's leadershi]), ordered the 
strike; that the otlier haU were eith«-r numbers of local iniions 
or non-iuiion men. The highest estimate whi(di the operators 
made of the number of persons whom they were able to induce 



THK (OAL STKIKK. 



to work while the strike was in jirogres** was 17,000. Tmler the 
Pennsylvania law, no j)er8on can Ik? eniployetl tm a miuer in the 
anthn»<Mt<' mines until he has j»ass»Hl an examination by a stute 
boiiril ereatetl for the purjnme and has receivetl a certitiiatr or 
license. One of the conditions of such license is "not less than 
two years' practical exi>erience as a mine lalx>rer " in the anthra- 
cite fields. It wxs this r»'<jairement which most seriously ham- 
pered the operators in tlu-ir efforts to work the mines williout 
the aid of the strikers, for men brou^'ht from other sections could 
1h' employed only in violation of the law. The strikers claimed 
that they controlled ninety-tive jmt cent, of all the licensed 
workers, and this was |»robably true. While the cujumi-ssiiui 
was in session 1 asked one of tin* n'j^ular coun.sel of the o|)era- 
tors if it was not true that, if the op- * ' d l>een , njde 

military jirotection to juwent all i u and •• tm 

the part of the strikers toward the non-union men who were will- 
iti^' to work, they would still have Wnm unable, Wrause of the 
license law, to obUiin a force of miners wifficient to j>ro<lucc a 
supply of coal anything like adi»<piaU» to the winter's d.iuands. 
lie replii'd that it waj*true. That was aii ailmi.ssion that Mit4-hell 

was mast4T of the • t ! that uid. • 1' l.-nt had 

intervined thi're w. i, if iH»t a i , a scar- 

city 80 serioiLS as to cause hulleriug lujd probable riots in the 
large cities, 

( >no of the most intir. sting as])ects of the l*resident's c<jm- 
mission for final adju«i of the (piestions at issue lx»tween 

the o; • s and their lUiplovees was the principle of arbitra- 
tion tw.. ■' in it. This wiis a very different prii ' ' a 
the one r upon by Mr. Mitchell at tin* outS4-i «.: 

gle. It will l)«^ rememlM»red that tlie Civic Federation, under 
the leadership of S«'nat<»r Manna, made • 1 

effort to settle the strike when it wa.s 1;. '., 

A conference between the conflicting parties was lield, and al- 
though an armistic*» of thirty days was secured, failun* ensued 
bccaust* the .■ •• • rs refused t*) recn • • • Mie union by consent 
ing to an ari i with it. In an iiion of that kiM«l llie 

claims of non-union men would have no stinding whatever, for 
there would simply U- * -s to it, the ojw'rators and the 

union. Under the Vr< ^ an, the commission was to con- 

sider "all questions at issue l)et\veen the respective companies 
^nd V * '."and it was ulated that p^Mid- 

i"ff it- : ^ .... miners should :. ;..... i.. ., ,,.k and all interfer- 
ence with and i)ersecution of non-union men at present working 



THE CUAL JSlUiKE. 



or hereafter employed shoiiltl cease. It was also stipulated, and 
the stipulation was accept«Ml by botli ])arties, that when the com- 
mission should liave reached its finding tliese "shall govern the 
conditions of employment between the respective companies and 
their employees for a term of at least tlii-ee years." 

Tlie s»deotions which the President mailo for members of the 
commission were in accordance with the spirit of his apj>eal. 
He cliose them with the single object in view of getting a deci- 
sion in accordance with right and justice. It was the unanimous 
opinion of tlie country that a more competent or more imjtartial 
tribunal could not have been constituted. It was in every wa}' 
superior to the Civic FiMleration as an arbitrating l>ody, for it 
contained no member who was identitic<l directly with either 
party to the controversy. Tlie Civic Federation was, further- 
more, a self -constituted l)ody and couhl only offer its services in 
lal>or c • .s. It was nt>t asked to ar))itrat«» the coal strik(», 

ami it ' ^'ct the consi-nt of the oi>erators to such arbitra- 

tion. The l^resident's eommis.sion entered upon its duties under 
tlie high moral authority, if no other, of tlie highest otticer in the 
land, and with tlie consent of lioth the contestants and their j)romise 
In accept its di'crces. It sat for nearly five months, taking a great 
mass of ti>8tiniony and agreeing unajiimously upon a rejiort that 
was a com^ i which the strikers secured about half their 

demands, !ig to get a hearing upon their main conten- 

tion, whieli w'tm the n»cognition of their union by the mine opera- 
tors. The use of intimidation and violence in support <»f the 
strike was strongly condemned, and for the settlement of future 
(lisputes a l>oard of conciliation was pro])osed, to \wi made up of 
three memU'rH from each side, who could appeal to the circuit 
judge of the district to ai)|>f>int an umpire whose <lecision should 
Im* final. Tlie n'port was generally n'garde<l as e(pial)le, and 
Ixith sides accepted it as they had ple<lged themselves in advance 
to do. Since the verdict was rendered there has been peace in 
the coal region. From time t<> time minor disputes have arisen 
but tliey have Ijcen settled easily under the terms of the agree- 
ment. The gn*at residts of the President's course were, there- 
fore, an immediate resumption of mining, which supjdicd the 
<'ountry witli coal and thus warded off suffering and disorder, 
and the establishment of ]>eace in the region for three 3'ears. 
The indirect but scarcely less IxMieficent result was the beginning 
of a b«nter understanding botueen o])erators and miners which 
ever}' day of peace is developing and strengthening. 



PANAMA Kl lUHI !C WO CANAL. 
CUL K81-: ni- IHl. A.MhKK AN ( .nN'KlJN M KNT 

ri^^IlK futuiv historian, when he hits iluwn tc» write th«' nar- 
J rdtive of the ebUiblishmeut of tlie republic of I'linanui, 
will treat it xs tlie tuhninatiujs' >t«'l' in a movement tliat 
had L>een in progress for moriMhiUi four liumlml vears. Vieweil 
in that |>ersj>ective, it is likely to aj)iH'ar a far less Inisty j)ro- 
ceeding than it seemed to l>e at the time it was effected. Tlie 
tinal step was swift oidy when contemplat**d by itself. Consid- 
ered in eonnietion witli tlie long and weari.sonie and annoying 
journey whieh had precviled it, the wontler is not that it was 
taken so (juickly, but that human patiente had delayed so long 
befoiv taking it. 

I shall endeavor, in nuiking a reconl of it, to treat it as com- 
pletely as |>os8ible in the light of I . for it has UMome his- 
torical faet. The new republie is ..->lud with the reci»gni- 
tion of the rnit€tl States antl all the leading nations of the 
world, and the treaty by whieh the I'nited Slat«*s guaranti'es 
and I'KdgfS it^self to maintain the inde|K*ndenee of the republic 
of ranama was ratified in the Si-nale by a vote of sixty-six to 
fourti*en, so many Democrats voting for it as to make approval 
of the Koosi^'velt ailministration's «-ours«* virtually non-partisan, 
and hence popular. Instead of arguing the ctise f<»r tlie govt-ni- 
iieiit, I shall content myself with a statement of its reasons for 
tlie action whieh it toi»k, citing these as its answer to the main 
I)oint.s of the criticism which has been made against its courst*. 

Did the Koosevflt administratinn art t/»o <pii<-kly in i-ecog- 
uizing the new republic? 

In • : ^ : , .^ ; tion, iMiiii tiir i'i»"»iu«-ui iiii'i t hc iSec- 

retary ^ » tht-ir othcial explanations of tlieir 

course, recalled the long history of the efforts of the American 
government to pierce the Isthmus with a canal. As early as 
1328 a proposal was laid before the Emperor Charles V. for the 
opening of such a way across the Isthmus of Panama. From 
that day till VM)A the project continued to occupy a place among 

10 



PANAMA KKPL'BLIC AND CA>AL. 11 

the great enterprises j-et to be accomplished. It remained unful- 
tilled only because the exf>ehence of four hundred years had 
demonstiated that private effort was wholly inadequate to the 
purpose, and that the work must be performed, if at all, under 
the auspices of a government of the largest resources. There 
was only one such government in a position to undertake it. By 
a well settled policy, in which all American nations are under- 
stood to concur, the aijsumption of the task by any of the great 
guvemments of Euro|>e was pronounced to be inadmissible. 
Among American governments there was only one that seemed to 
be able to assume the burden and that was the government of 
the United States. To the accomplislunent of this object that 
government had for years directed its dij>lomacy. It oirupied 
a place in tlie instructions to our delegates to the Panama Con- 
gr " tlu* admi <»n of John Quinry Adams. It 

for.- - ibjfct of a. . . .:ion of the Senate in 18^3o, and of 

the House of Repre.sentatives in 1839. In 1846 its importance 
had become still more a}»j)arent by reason of the Mexican War, 
when a treaty was made with New Granada in regard to it. 
Four years later the (.'layton-Hulwer Treaty was entered into be- 
tween this country and Great Britain. That treaty instead of 
fur*' J tlie j)ruj»'«t jiroved to be an insuj»erable bar to it. 

1)k e tifty-un»- years of its existence, nothing was done 

toward tlie construction of a canal. It became, almost immedi- 
ately after ratification, the subject of bitter attack in tliis coun- 
try' because of its violation of the Monroe Doctrine, in allowing 
England and other European nations to sliare witli us control of 
a canal, and because of England's alleged failure to comply with 
its conditions. From time ^) time, efforts were made to have 
the treaty denounced, or declared by us void because of Eng- 
land's failure to comply with its requirements, but the American 
government refused steadily to take this view, holding that we 
were Ixjund in honor to abide by the treaty till England should 
consent to its abrogation. That con.sent was given, and in De- 
cember, 1901, a new treaty was agreed upon, the main point of 
whicli is tlie complete withdrawal of Great Britain from j)art- 
nership with tlie United States in the control of any canal that 
may be constructed. It was to be built with American money, 
and controlled by Americans, and its neutrality maintained by 
Americans. The United States secured power *' to maintain such 
military i)olice along the canal as may be necessary to protect it 
against lawlessness and disorder,'' but beyond that no express 
power is given to fortify it, while the language of the treaty 



IL' PANAMA KEPTBLIC AM) CANAL. 

Kcems to amount to a j)rohibition in that direction. " The canal," 
it reatls, '* shall l)e free and open to the vessels of comiueice and 
of war of all nations observing the rules pre8<iril)ed for the j)res- 
ervation of its neutrality, and shall never l>e blocked, nor shall 
any riglit of war be exercised, nor any act of hostility Ix* com- 
mitted within it." 

Tlu* way now st'tMurd cK'ar tur iiu- cnn.^iniriuHi of the canal. 
On January 'J'J, VJO'Jy tlie second Pan-American ConfeixMice, sit- 
ting at the City of Mexico, adopted the following resolution: — 

**Thf Hepublics Hs.«M'inl»hi! ut the IiittTimlitaml Coiiffn-ncf of Mcxit-o 
applaud llif purpose* of tliv L'liiti'd Stutt-i ^'MVcniniciit to coiihtrurt hu 
iiiUT (H-Lunir • iMil .n.) lukiiow Ifd^i- tliut iIiIh work will iiut ouly Im- 
wortJiy «»f III f till' AiiU'riciiii p<-oplr, !)»ii al'io in tlir highest 

ht'ijw a work I'i ( i\ 1..' I <>n and to ihr ^Tfaltsl drj^rrr iK-iirticial to the dc- 
vt'lopnu-nt of conitnrrn- ImUvchm Ihr Anwrican Staltif and thf othfr couu- 
tricH of the world." 

Am(»ng the (hdegat«*s wlio signt-d tliis r«'S(ihiti«iM, wliirli was 
adojiU'd without «li - i t. was the ihdi'gate of Colombia. 'J'he 
next 8tej) was the :i of the United St«'iU»H in favor of the 

]*anama route in prelerence to that of Nicaragua, and the pas- 
sage of the Spoon«»r Act i: ' ■ . IlK)!', n •' i/iug the Prrsident 
to ac«juirr at a cost not ex ^' forty i <l<dlars tin* j»rop- 

erty and concession of the Panama Canal Compiuiy and to ob- 
tain from C ' ' a, on such terms as he deemed n*asonable, 
control of ti.^ ...lory necessary for the canal. Therefore, neg<;- 
tiations were o|)ened with Colombia, and in January, IOCS, the 
llay-Herran Tre.ity was agreed upon. This was ratilird by the 

SiMiate and was sent to Co' ' ■ i for approval byi' — - rnment. 

While the treaty was in h ;un U'tween the . utatives 

of the United States and Colombia, objection wa« nnide iiy the 
Colond)ian i ' ' .-ntativt's to thr fuht 

article, whi-. , i. ^ : of Colombia authoi- 

izes the new )*anama Canal Com}»any to sell antl ti-ajisfer to the 
United States its rights, j>ri" . pn»i»erties, and concessions, 

as well as the I*anama railro.t i .w. i all the shares or part of the 
shares of that com i)any.'' The Colombian government aske^l to 
have this modified so as to read that the |>ermi.ssion ai'corde<l 
by Colombia in n-gard to canal and railway rights should "l)e 
n-gulated by ]>revious special arrangement entered into by Colom- 
bia." This request the American government refused to gitint, 
and it was abandoned by Colombia, whose rej)r»'8entatives signed 
the treaty with the full authorization as it stands in the artich*, 
which is identical with that in the original draft of a treaty pre- 



PANAMA REPUBLIC AND CANAL. L3 



sented by Colombia itself through its minister to the American 
government in March, 190-. Some time after the treaty had 
been signed, the American j-'overnment was surprised to learn 
that the Colombian government, in violation of this article, had 
sent notices to the canal company saying that further permission, 
in addition to that contained in tin* treaty, was necessary for the 
transfer of its concession and those of the railway company to 
the United States, and re(iuiring the companies to cancel all 
obligations of Colombia to them, and thus destroy the rights, 
])rivilrgfs, and concessions which Culoiidjia by tiie treaty sol- 
emnly authorized the canal company to sell to the United States. 
That, if 3\»ccessful, would of course destroy the treaty by defeat- 
ing its main purpose. Tliis was one of many similar attacks, all 
instigated by the Colombian government, against the treaty 
which its representatives had signed, conduct which, as Secretary' 
Hay has point^-d out, is in violation of the familiar rule that 
"two goveniments, in agreeing to a treaty through their duly 
authorized repre.sentatives, bind themselves, pending its ratifica- 
tion, not only not to opiK>so its consummation, but also to do 
nothing in contravention of its terms." The attack which is l)e- 
lieved to have lM?en the main cau.sc of the rejection of the treaty 
by tlie Colondiian Congress was made in a report to the Colom- 
bian Senate by its canal committee, in which it was held that ac 
the en<l of a year all tlie concessions granted by tlie governnuMit 
to the Panama Canal Company would lapse, and that then Co- 
lomlna could takr for itsrlf the forty million dollars which tlu* 
United States had agieiMi to j)ay tiie Panama Canal Company. 
After this the treaty was rejected and tlm congress adjourned. 

WIIV rilK rKKSIDKNT WAS PKoMPT. 

ft is tlie contention of the American government that Colom- 
bia's • • in regard to the treaty showed conclusively the 
hope!' :. ) of ever getting a satisfactory agreement from her. 
That was the conclusion of the people of Panama, for they made 
up tlieir minds that in case the treaty was rejected they would 
revolt, an<l the}* made elaljorate ])reparations, montlis in advance 
to do so, fully anticipating i-ejection. 

This was the situation when the revolution took ])lace on 
November .'^ P.>O.S. President Roosevelt had becomes so thor- 
oughly convinced, when tiie treaty was rejected, tliat fuvtlier 
efforts to reAch agreement with Colombia on fair and equitable 
terms would be useless, that his intention was, he sai<l in a sub- 



sequent iiiOMHaKe, "to consult the conj^resB hr to whetlier under 
siifh oirfuiustauffs it would not Ik* projKT to announce that the 
eanal wa.s l»i Ix* duji; forthwith; that we would j^'ive the termh 
that we hail otTereil ajid no otliers; aj»d that if such tvnus w«»r»» 
not ajfitH*d to w'v wouhl vuter into an arranjjement with Tanaum 
tlireet, <»r lak»* wliat othiT «t4'ps vrvrt' m^Mlful in ortlcr to U*^in 
the ent«Tpris««." In takiiij( this ]M>.situ)n, in* wa-s acting; in a**- 
oordanoe with a stMitiment I'XpreHsed by Se<»retary Chhh^ in ISriH, 
in the foUuwinf? ottieial Mtateiiiont of the American govcrninent'K 
attitutle :- 

*• Whilr ihi- ri.'i.f- ..f fiovrr< i/x'v f t)i« -.,..- <Kx*iipyiii^ lhl«« n'Kd<»ii 
(Ceniml Aiiuri ..I alwu. •|h*«u><I. \xv nIiaII t'x|HTi thm ilirnc 

Hf^htx Ik' I'M-n iN' «j ill It Hpiril rn ; • ««tioii. mul Uu- wu 

(in-iiiiiHtaiH fH thai \iu\r lui-rt *- ims Iih •Im!!*— n-* « • 

ri^hlM. Hiid iioiii* of III. I \\ti)i 

iiii»n' ri'tfunl l4» \Ur Ju* . . •• iMfii. 

Wduhl \k' |Mnnitt(il In n Hpiru «»f ciuiirm iMtlntloii. jo cliair ilip untrn of in 
l«n"<ir«- ...i (h. T. ,,r l.i .1. .1 ,,x * of tti<« Horld. atxl i--"'A ihr nri hv Uir 
pri ' f tr»il*' And tnivil ).• ihiin. nnd tluit 

!Ih\ I (I'-'-- i" hm I' <.r ^% I ' ' < . ( \»!nl»rr llirni wllh 

Miich unjiiHt rfliitinnii AH w< . w " 

Forty-Hix yean* had |MUM«d §ince that opinion w«« expreHHed, 
and during that time no prt»i;n'iiH had lieen made toward U*gin* 
niuR till* ''tidn of tlie canal. Finally, ( i iiad 

placed hi; .; .;* the |mthway of pr* •••. -- •• •->,.. ,^^ ; l„. ol>- 
stnn-tivi* manner whirh S4»cn-tary < a ...tl would not 

U» |>ermitted. This waH the Hnal provocation, not only tn the 
Tnitctl StAt«'H hut t4» Panama. The latter ruM* in i- ' ud de- 
clared Its iiidf]MMdcnc«-, and the I'mtetl Slates j^o nt r«»c- 
of^iized ibi inde|N*ndent existence as a republic iuimediat4dv. In 
justification of such prompt action, th*' I: • au 

viU*i\ the condition of affairs on »' •• ? .ti ;... ........rit. 

I'anama had U»en accumulating^ d for war for S4*venil 

months. The Isthmus was, acv^oniniK to Uie ri'porta of tnist- 
worthy an*' * . : -^ * ■ - .' ' ■ V vr- 

min«*«l to of 

Colombia to suUlue them. That Colombia was also prepare<l ia 
s)u»wn by the fact that at the moment when inde|KMideMr.* was 
proclaimed, on the mominjf of November M, she ha<l a jfuid>oat 
with between four and tive hundred troops off ^'olon on the way 
to Panama. Secretary Hay, in his reply to Genei-al Reyes, thus 
debnes the situation : - 



nam* 



"On the one h^nd itood the roTemmenl of Colomblm Inrnking in the 
ne of the tT*«tT nf 1R4<^ the a1«1 nf thiji gor^rnment In il« efforU t/> irip 



rAN\M\ irKri'P.LK' and r\N\i.. \r> 



prrwi the roToliitioii ; i.u ilu' oihor Imnd h\och\ tlio rrpuWic of Panninn tlml 
\\fn\ ("onio Inlo Jx-injj in onlcr tliat llu- irnut ticsiun of that trrutv ini^Mit 
not \tc forvycTfrnmnxXoil, Jmt inipht Iw ftilfill«i| Tin- Isthmus won thn'a! 
t n«tl with <l<s«.latiiiii l»y tinothcr civil war. nor wore the riirht^ and inter 
• •HtH of th«' Lnit<tl Stairs alone at stake; the intinsis of the wliolo rivil- 
i/rni worM Win- inv..lviil. The npiihlie of Panama sIckhI for tlios*. 
inten-sU; the jroveniment of ('o|on»hia op|>ose<l them. ('ompelle<l to 
elKKHv U'twc<^n the««4* two altenmtives. the ;:ovrn»mrnt of the l'nite«l 
Stati"?!. In no wiw rr>s|M>nsi))]r for the situation that ha<i arisen, did not hesi 
tati-. It nTtiirni7«'«l tiie {nde|M>ndenre of the republic of Panama, and upon 
ii"* judgment and action in the enierpency the Powers of the world have 
wt the «ral of their appp'val " 

'Diat civil war wnuM have U^fftiii iniino<liat4»ly on Xovi»inl>or 
.". hut for tli«^ intervention of tljo I'nitpd States, is provi^d by 
the otheial n"|K»rt of Coinniander Hiil)hard^ of tlte Tnited States 
RUnlioat, ''Nashville," who had l)een ordered by the Anieriean 
j^oveniinent U» Colon to protect the neutrality of the Istliiuus 
along the line of the Panama Haihvay. The commanding ollirers 
(»f the (\)lom))ian tpMtps had asked for transj>ortati(>n over tin* 
railway to Panama for their troops and it had l)een granted, hut 
it was prohil)ited by *' ruler Hubbard as in violation of the 

jH'rfect neutrality <»f :.. . ..= of transit which the Tnited States 
IS l)oiind to maintain. If Commainler Hubliard had not U-en on 
•he s]K»t, the tr<»op« wouhl have gone to I*anama and civil war 
wouhi have Iv • ' ^nin on V ' : fourth. The roh)ml)inn 

troops, aft«-r f *•• K*'^ * . ""> to Panama, sought to 

occupy Colon on Novemlier fifth, in violation of an agreement 
U»tw»'en their commanding nfhr'ers and Commander Hulibard. 
The latter, as siwin as he learne«l of this intention, landed his 
full force of marines, only forty-two in numl^er, for the avowed 
pur|><>Re of protecting the lives ami pro|)erty of American citizens 
if threatened, and by doing this and maintaining a cool ntid firm 
attitude in the pre.s«'nce of the Colombian tr(K>ps when they en- 
tered the city, he pn^-ented bloo<lshed an<l the lieginning of civil 
'var. Presidetit Uoosevelt Raid on this |>oint in his message of 
.laimnry 1. ]'M)\ 

"InHtt-ttil of linn* having U^'n t'Ki much prevision tiy the American 
government for the mAintenanc«< of orrier ancl the protection of life and 
property on the Nthmus. the tinlers for tin* n»ovement of American war 
•»hipn had N«mi i-hi " I ; "U) long, in fact, thai there were but 

forty two mArines u: . • ailable to land and protect the lives of 

American men and woui.u • • • It clearly appears that Uie fact that 
there wa« no bloodihed on the Isthmus was directly due, — and onl}' due, 
—to the prompt and Arm enforcement by the United State* of iu tradi 
lional policy." 



16 PANAMA UKri'HMC AND (ANAL. 



If civil vrar had once bogiui, how lon^ wiMild it have laateil, 

' * ■ ' ' ' ■• ■ ' . ' . - led- In r 

_ . ) Way ha>. 

judge tin* future in the light of the \tnAt. DuruiK the previ' 

' I on the ! no U- 

--'•J : ..eayfur, :. : them 

fur several yeani, aiul n rvot-ui ont^ Wtwi'cn l*unanui and < 

bia e.v r lhr» of thi'*»e had tli. 

such I f ^ . , ^,,,. . . f ijj^. . ^ ^ 

such I for i The . « f 

Panama were ounviiux*d that their future M a coiuniuiutv or 



in* : |>ower and inij Inv liefnto t' 

not buiil in t 

the doom of ^ 

for even the 1 

Punaina would fall into u }i|M*edy and ho)ke)< 

of the leading citizenii of Panama Aaid hooii after thr levulut. 

to us 
in 

■«-U Li uul be iilUiuUii. uitt 

I'lnlir thejterr>ii.!iti..ri", L»iirit i.M.\ iK'.itii.fi fi.T!(.Mi'.l ),\ 
]in !ia for 

eivil u . i • 

.v.. ., . . 

aelt the forty million tliat ha«l be«n -d br the 

guard to protect the if : the 1 



I . .1 - .1 . 



. and had . 
have brought France into the contiict, for that goveniment would 
be con ' - • .j^. 

holder , , it 

would have been v«ry difiiciUt fur the to avoid 

being dram-n into the conflict, if our gu\rniment had umhI it« 



PANAMA Iii:!»LHLI(' AND CANAL. 



i: 



fi . , .• by \n , y 
recojfnizJ"^? the imlepetulence of Punaiua. It was a cuse of in- 

unl h\ ••ft, with : 

- y^'" .'.I ailniini^ii.i: 

call***! tn , defiiled for iii>: 

rr II. As I'resideiit Kooaeveit put it in his luessat^ ot 
Jairi.iry 4, 1904:— 

" U ..;•-. t .. .i.;_ ,^.j^ ikH^Ti uj.il :i slate of fact'? In 

no t»tt". u(>on our anion in onlinnrv cum'S. 

If... 



of 
lik 
ti.. 



!»y tht? I nif 

r Hiut I! 



V Hut. 
' f.\<r|) 
iS whv u 



' luhiii to (|t>. 
for itHHixi iiiti rrstH HUil thi* 

"•• • ''■ "' • 'i^sion of !h»' 

n*. wo sJmll. 
ft* i!\ 'i>i') '-• uij'i. K'-' i« uic ifAii^-.u "piu. una jircNtir iti iu\a«4ion." 



' •►MrLHITV AND TICEATV OHLIOATIONS. 



Wwit 
aiiy of It 

(Ml ti 
Alices of 
January 4, llMit, Uie 1 

-I ' 

of oiUij-. 

I'ananiA. TIm-v ar 



I urrtul ai [ 



i th« American K^vernmmt, or 
iiihtM ? 

to thi' ot!! • ' MtT- 
. < _ In his . • of 

it said: — 

iu<%inuntionH whirh Imvc Iki'U nindc 

• •' ■■ rrv«ihitioii:try iDovinicut in 

lift of proprifty. Tho only 

kin^' |HrM»i:s nii^ht 

"t I think proper 

Kill any 

•i on the 

riA of our military and naval 
. ..... litl-* pivrrnnu-nt had any pre 

vcfpt HUl h a.H wan arn-H^lhlr t«>any 
' the ucwipapi'ni and kept up a 



In hi«t reply of January 5 to the formal statement of Colom- 
bia's gn* v;inoes whidi General Keyes made to tiiin on December 
2.'<, SiHjrelary Hay said: — 



18 1' V N \ n: \ KriTIUJ' .. . \N \I. 

"TIm- prtHbi ill iJii« Miiiiiir\ \m «*Mtir«-lv fr«M« nM«l h«* n iin*t«««irv <nmh«*» 

llvliv, ! 
ill nil 
itt I la- ! trc Mtt fn-4'1) <li« 

""* ^••' ...... iAJii |ini«i-<'<|K i«i 

•wn rurr. I>i|>luiiMli(- 
' I'f" •>• in mtrii MuintH tiinlr 

••»l '•'• •»»•♦ Anv rhnrir*- ilinl 

lultl .fM\ 

••II in ( ■ V. 1« 

nil* I 

■' .1*1 I. 1 ,. i« ^ 'ii' 'ovcmmcQf pHor 

»*> IIm- I A it I, ihr pUnH 

• »r lln' !«»■• iiK Mtj.iiiiniii k4-«« ill miMiK* ' M*"**- ilrninU. nn«i 

It timk<-<t III- 

Wint* mir troaty oMitfiitiotiK vinliit«'il in rffimini? Xon'\*\ (\.lnni- 
bia Ui put down tin* revtiliitioti " 

It i ■ ..|H of till* 

govern:.. ; ; .. ; iir CinttMl 

Stiiti*ii wnn Im»' MMt; )i«>r fi4»vfn*igiitv 

only in cnjM* nn rtlort v i Ut n fon^igri 

|»oti-or. r • ' - '- 'of 

inti»r]»n'ta; ■,>%. 
••nt tiuif* in ncronl witti thin (liniintrti frtiin S(H*r«>tar>' Seward to 

ih^ Amorican ininifft«*r nt IW>)»otn; 

■ •f « 

1 , 

: • I 

!ior 

nn 
re 

— . ...iij« 

-' '"^^' y. It miiM not |jiiv»* 

• " •^'••- 1 • . . -.-v Hrll war in 

»t ...iintrv )*\ v Aji it nuiy 

i'»n 

'HI 

iri 
•r^t !• ooc await> thAt tberr U ret nrra«inn 



From the date of that dupAtrh to i time this con- 

struction haa been impoaed apon tht . f 1846 by erery 

fiiplomttir t^nt and w»cr«»tary of itat* in the Aineriran gorem- 



PANAMA REPriU.R AM) CANAL. 19 



iuf»nt. Furthermore, the Colombian K'<^veniment has its»4f ac- 
cepted the same construction, for Mr. Burton, in replying to Sec- 
retary Seward's .' * h in 186r», wrote that he had oj-^ened up 
this subject of il,. _truction of the treaty of ISIOwith the 

diplomatic ajjents ami ministers of the Colombian government 
and added: — * 

-Thorrsnlt' .t thr Colombian tfovemment derlarw th:ii it 

.1.--^ not f.vl l: .;/,.,| Uy ,|„. tp.atv to rrquiro tho aid of tlir 

: -^ .''^ for Iho tiippm^^Jon of an insurn'otion. rch«lli( n or othrr 

.I..:..;u.|.,. onthrlMhir - - r • Htim.s; n«.t evrn 

an invasion hy anoihrr ( ,cnHnt \h^ intindr.l 

todrtarh ihr.taN. - ,,„,, ,o unmx it to 

«f..r.i5rn y>..n..^ ! .^„^ f^^.^, ,^^ ^,^.^,,^^^^ 

I <^' C'olonit>la. without the fear of 

•■• . States <»f Ainrrira. provider! such 
•n lie not arcompMninl by the end of nnn.xatlon to a forl•i^'n 

i * ' 

That was the Miu.it;..n m lM»s u.s inteij.r.tod alK)Ut twenty 
years lat»r. The question was a very ditleient on** in l\H)X 
The railway which was constnicte<l from ocran to ocean by 

■two stations, and at each of these 

- ■>•■■: • r . '*"n. At one end is Colon with a 

I»opulation of fourteen : ;,1, ami at the other is ranania 

with a iMipulation of twenty thousand. There an» waiehousea, 

"*" * ■ • yarils, a ' > and other projHMty Ih'- 

. company d alon>{ tin- road's lenj^th. 

ill addition are the dred>f»-« and machinery of the canal com- 
pany, which the Canal Commission estimated as worth one mil- 
lion dollars. The A' •••^'Mfi ^fovernmcnt must consider, when 
confront4»d with the (| ; of intvrniptinK transit on the Isth- 

mus, not itii obliKTitions mert»ly under the treaty of 18.|r,, but itA 
inherent riijht to sa' ! tho jn^>at interests and right of 

American capilul inv. .»n\ When Colombia sr»uKht to u.se 

the railway in onler to in«titut« civil war, she herself violated 
th«' • for civil war would have closed the Isthmus and 

mad. ,ary American intervention to reopen tratlic and keen 

it open. 

cnL()MBIA'S I'SCRPING GOVERNMENT. 

Waa there a coDBtitutional government in Colombia at the 
time of the Panama revolution ? 

On this point I shall follow the argument of ex-Secretary 
R^t in his speech in Chicago on Febniary 23, 1904. Tie elaimed 



so PANAMA KEPriiLir AND U. 



that Hanaina retained uu m cut Aoveruignty ab a ttate ftxtt 

ill the rf pablio uf Stw it ; and lat«r lu tlu) rtfpublio of 

I •' • con* 

.1 " has 

o now 

itiou ul < 'aa ad S Mr. Kintj, Uiu 



ware \ and u 



tioii with the ot: 
III - • — 

erii ... 
many 

Um rt» 

.... 1 



f Uie 





y. 


From 

• ra- 
>«*ani. 






i in 


lie* 


o\ 


• •*!' 




H 


•* th«*ti 



directed t. 

i .. -- - 

ill • Tlie nf1^ '- com- 



I. It » a 

>r to be II and be in turn 

T' 

of ii. i al snd • .ent to 



ihiv«» liuiet Binct' i. * in rr 

id wen- ftuj»- 
r three }«*ar« 
I a war for 1: u VM)'J throuKh 

liie lit' 

iir- 



M 



PAMAMA KKI'IULIC AMJ CA.NAh. 21 



31, VM^, the vic*-|»rMi<l«*iit, Martujuiii, exerutfil a **tH)up d'e'tat" 
by the juTUoii of the i»i " . :u»«l impris- 

• • ' f ' ..». ... Miiruquiu 

i)f ilie vf powiT U- 

(raiise of the al)«en« of the i»re»uiiui. He tiieii issuetl a tleone 
.• -' ' ■ ^ • ":aea 

a. T rth, Marw^uin, without the aici of any legib- 

ImUvc IxmIv. ru»««i »•« th*» itive, ' . oivil, 

> .'.•'.- .. r..»>i.» .. , I .ombia. 

, .lie jxTiuaiiont 

by hill ibalh in |.naon in liie year 1' Wht n the ]MM>|)le of 



i»f .•• 



.1 by M \ to rejet't the caual treaty, and which 

aid n-j«4'i It bv at. 

V- - '•■ • i... ■ - ' ■ ^--^ •- 

ver of 'I it 

in ColomUa. The tvmpd'dtai of Alaronuin U)ok away Iruiu (V 

■' 'ic (lower of K^^Ysnuneut and %e»ted it in an irre- 

AftfT "f I'aJiama. <;eueral Reyea, iu behalf of 

the C- ••"■to t ^ /OV- 

. .to I- ... :.. :. aty, 

a or by decive, tlnis 
ailnutUnk' tb 'eiii tiid not exist in ('«)loni- 
l„n r •' 'Ht of the 

for U' . but » "question of riK'ht, a 
question •" 'IhiM- 

lib : 'V rout*'. '1 i.i V 

l^jj. .-d th« federal 



j»oii*en»iuenl its t 



WHM 1 ^ to the tr 



had r. ' 'i» ^»«^ 

hand . ^ '"'^ *<* i 

]4r j; y to Iju that of the Amt-riran ik«o- 

ple : — 

-T' ■ ■ . ; 

fn>m t' 

tlial V ' 

,ri «,f t. ' Hy all thr prlnripU-n of 

wp have li-nrtxt! fn»m our 
hould maintain, the rcvolu 



1>1' PANAMA HEPL'HLU AM) CANAL. 



tionisis iu l^aimnia wen* right, tlie> p(*oDl« of Panama wen« outitltni to Ix 
JrtH- Hgiiiu. ihr Kihmus >*iM» Uuiri>, auu lluy wen- cniiiliHi lo goveru ii. 
tiud il iNtmld htt\ f Ikiu u hhumrful thing for the govenmunl <»f the I'uititl 
Siatc-ft lo rtliiru ihtm ugnin lo tH.rvJtu(i»-." 

Was i\u' lu't uf rroo^Miitiuii justitiocl by the intorcstij of civili- 
zation 

)*iei.itltnl ]{(>o.s«*vill liinily liolu'vetl it wii>. Hv buul iii lu.s 
inossagi* i>l tliinuur} -I, 1*JU1: ** I cuiitiileiitly uuiinlain that tlu* 
ifcoguiliun ut the n']uiblic of raiiauia wah aii art justified by the 
iiiteresU of collective civilization. If ever a government could 
be saiil to have rei-eived a mandate from civilization to elTert an 
objet-t tlie areompli.Nhmeiit of whirh was demamlrd in the int4M- 
est of uiunkind, the United States holds that jwhition with regaiil 
to the inter-<K-ejinie canal." The civilized world very promptly 
confirmed thi.s view of oiir |>osition as the mandatory of civiliza- 
tion wlnii through fifteen of its governments, including those of 
the leading nations, it recognized the inde|>endence of the new 
ivpuldic. Putting all other considerations aj»i<le, it is easy t<» 
disct-rn that thi- gnat fonv which iiiovrd not only the I'niteil 
States government but the goveniments of the civilized world as 
a IkmIv forward so unajiimously in this matti-r, wa-s s«df-int« : 
in three forms. First, the M-lf-intfrest of Panama, which v ... 
jielled the revtilution as the juily metluMl of escai>e from destnn- 
tion. Seccond, self-int^'restof the United St:ite«, which demamls 
a canal for i* nierce :r ' *' * of it^ resources. 

Third, M-lf-i of ri. the world. On 

this j)oint, — that an i.ithmian canal free to tin* commerce of the 
world is an inestimalile Ixx^n to all mankind, there is no <li.s- 
senting voice. Py rejecting the new tn*aty, ft>r the reasons 
given and in the manner followed, Colombia juit hers*df athwart 
the pathway of the progress of the world, and the world united 
to brush her aside. Then, too, there was that sympathy with 
Panama which always g<H*s forth to a jK-ople striving to rid them- 
selves of oppression. As Vattel says: ** When a |>eople for goo<l 
reasons take up arms • an opprvssor, it is but an a»-t of 

justice ami generosity u. .i ^i brave m«ii in tlir difi-nce of tlu'ir 

liberties." 



OL'K WORK AS A CI\I1.I/1 K. 

IKKMKMliEK luMiiug ail astute objkMvir, \vli«» had uiaiK* a 
lifelong stmly of AmerioiUi politics and rharaclvr, say, aftA.T 
thi- ratirtoatiuii of the Treaty of Paiis, " W.ll. that starts 
08 as a nation on a new ami ilisahtrous canvi. Wt* aix* to g«» 
into tlir hiisiness of I'oloni^tion, and no people were ever more 
utterly nnHt for such work than we are. Our colonial ailniini.s- 
tratioli will U' saturated with s|K)ils politics ami Ih» ilirected by 
8iK)ils puliti«i;iii>. \Vi' shall make a ilieadful nu'ss of it, dis- 
gracing ourselves in the eyes of the civilized world." Xever did 
pn-diction fail moic cn]ii|d.'t«-ly (»f fuUillmcnt than this has 
failed. l*n*cisoly the <ip|M.sil«« luis hapiK'iied. We have shown 
that we an» except iunally tit f»)r the work of colonization, we 
have kept Hi>oils politics ami s|»oils |K)liticians out of the work 
entirely, and we liave honoi\'d ourselves in the eyes of the world 
by the way m which we have iH-rfornied it. Kor this highly 
creditJiUe achievement the nation is indebted ])rimarily to Presi- 
dent McKinley. II- it n«»t only p«»s.sibh' but certain when 

he H*dect*»d as pioiu < ihis new held of Alneiitaii emleavcu- 

such men as (Jeuerals Lutllow and Wood for ('uba, .Fudge Taft 
for tlie IMiilippines, and Mr. Alh-n for Torto Ui<o. Of each of 
tins*' men It can Ir* .s;iid,as President Kt>osevelt said so finely of 
(reneral Wtxxl in his Harvard commencement addivss in 1*.>0'J, 
" credit to him ! Ves, in a way. In another no particular credit, 
iHH'aus*' lie was built so that he cuuhl do nothingelse." If Presi- 
dent McKinley had dune his country no other siTvice than to 
s«dect the.se men for this new task he would have earned the last- 
ing gratituile of the American i^eople, for it was a service that 
not only broui;ht lumor to his countiT. but advanced the cause of 
civilization thnnighout the worhl. This is not panegyric, but 
the simple language of fact, as a plain statement of what theso 
men have done within three years will demonstrate. 

THK Ni:W KKPriiLlC <>F <'ri;A. 

The story of what was done in Cuba, before it was turned 
«»ver to its j)eople for self-'^overnment, reads like a n»niancc. 
General Wood, in his admirable account (jf his work in the islaml. 



•_i •'! i: WoKK A:5 A < l\ ILI/Kl:. 

which he gave U'forf* the Williunis College uhiuiui in IWJf said 

that the only iuHtnictions which PresiiU'iit MoKiiilcy gave him 

' ' . I . - . , Cuba wiTi': •• 1 want y. * ' wn 

s for u ri-|)uljlu'au loiiu t'i . -at, 

1 leave tlie detaiU of procedure to you. Giva Uiem a good 
; tryt littMi out their courts, and ]>ut tht'iu ou 

. .. .. ;. V .. i^'.st ^' \Vc want to do all wc can for ihcnit 

antl wc want to ly to get out of tlie island ah soon as wc 

can Hafely do so. .Id the work of helping a |»eople, juHt re- 

. • • ' * ''■ ■ -:ith 

.or 
more magnannuouHly than that '.' General Wood earned out Ium 

i the liare 

: ... .. r...... fl... 

** Arabian Ni. 

the UMe of lui Ahuidin ur uf lie lound 

the irtl- ^ •• •' * : • •. •• •■ ^ . - ; 

court . . 

which made the< : liiivanannd Santiago tlie most unheitlthy 

in the worhl. ^' 

l-^Vllnl \\ ' ! ll ill •• ... 



ufKin tliat (•: 



with a c 



lu. 



as hcaltiiy an aiiy in Uie world, ajid had freed th< l from 

111 

. . .a a 
sanit^iry )MUut of view th-rut*) 

\Vi later, tlie 

ileath-rate was on a hue wiiii tliai of >tew 1 ;, aiid the 



I.I .1 



the work of on, ajid the uicm. . valua 'rv' 

had been made id the ' 

g»'nns of yellow fever. 

<Man, Dr. Finlay, advaii 

mitted by nu' s, but never found the particular variety of 



were tried for the extermination of yellow fever. First came 



ULK WORK A.S A ClVlLl/Ek. 25 

the exi)erinieiits with corrosive suMimate, then tlie suct'essfnl 
<• • tlie ii; '. T1h» ^t'llow fever comniission 

V... ; ., :i ma(K' .... s of its thnv iiieinl)ers ami a mar- 
tyr of one. The discover}- that yellow fever cannot be tr:ins- 
mitti'il by contact, bnt by the sting of a nios(iiiito, (Jenei-al \\ < (.il 
says, was worth the wliole cost of tlie war, an«l is tlic most im- 
i»ortant discovery in medical s<'ience since that of vaccination. 

In liis work of establish ing a school system Cteneral Wood 
1 .'.'•' ' . ' , ' ,' ' ! »'ut! He found al- 

: -,.. - .._ , .: :;..i barracks in Cuba 

to make .Hchf>olhou.ses for the people. He found only one uni- 
versity on the inland, and in each province a single institute or 
],;..». . .VrK)l havinp many i>rofcssors and few students. The ])nl)- 
1 -»1 was unknown. When he left ('id)a there vrvw .'i,78G 
.schools, with 'l.fHK) teachers, and the yearly enrolment of pupils 
'"•'.004». ;vitli ;i ' '.»f 140.000. Of the total 

I- .. '5 l.'JX^.'HH*^ . : ... 'cnt., was s|)enl for educa- 
tional pnqt^>^«- General Wmxl Udicves in the large school, 
an«l what h<' says of the one which he establishc<l in the old and 
J...1 — .;i..;.i. *,'..]., .. ;i;».... \ |^j, \j^ Havana, shows what a 

^ him in this field of his colo- 

nizing work : " We spent a great deal of money on this Iniilding 
in the pbu' ' ' " • ' r , , ' . mitnry nnange- 

nuMits. W' , — 1 ' .-. -«'liool like that, 

in the conter of a city of .'KH>,00<» people, most of whom an* 
♦ of the ver}* principles of sanitation, with every sanitary 

••♦ ' •♦ • ♦ > the building, will l)e much more valuable 

:i give to the childn'U. For this is an ol)- 
ject lesson, and ni going Imck to their homes the children will 

' . ' N fur i ' , ' , ^fif.ns." Tln« Ohio 

.1 i^ j>ut ii. , ; •■ ;,and has been very 

Hucce.ssfnl, and to-day there is a uniform school system through- 
out the island of Tid'a. 

When, on May l.H», l«Krj, (;t»nfral Wood turned th.' island 
over to Prcsidnit Tuhna and the new government, Culra was free 
from debt and had a more promising political future than was 
I- ■ by any <Uher I,atin-Aii comnnmity. The jienple 

li I ived (hiring these f«*\v \ i 1 American ctjutrol an ol>- 

jcet lesson in government that was of the highest value. They 
liad se^'u the traiisfonnation made from medijrvnl barbarism to 
modem civilizatirm, and had ac<|uired an elementary knowle«lge 
at least of the finidamental ])rinciph'S and meth<Kls of civilized 
goveniment. They had seen that goveniment established first 



I'o UUK UUUK Ao A Cl\iLl/EK 



iu the muuieipalitieh. then exiemled to the |irovineeb, then em- 
btKluU ami l in a tuii>iitutiou fur u republic. Mau) 

of them as i.f muimiiial boiliet», or as pal oth- 

ciaU, ha«l ai-nuiifil prarliral kiinwledge of U»e o] i.l ■^^,\' 

eruii; W'v ha.l, in short, done our full duty in Htarting iheiu 

"" tJ»' * *' ■ '' ^•nt McKinley marked out in hih in.^tnic- 
tioub to < . 

PKACE AND I'lCUlJUESS IN THK PHIMl'IMNKS. 

\N hat huj* \»Hau a(*«-<>MiiiliHh*-d in the Philijipinej* i!», when the 
**' mtered are couMidered, fully mm 

noi*»>M< .1^ Hi. i .. t in Culm. There wa-s no inhuma- 

tion in r-ihu, n.- _ M to American rontnd, and the work 

«f »"' ^•»" U'Ktt" immediately ujKjn American jKiJiMhhion. 

In Ih. i MX orK'ani/ed : , with the hrnt 

moment . .ui j > '. ^ ^ „jil, , 

grMsof. f..rni ,ri». DuriiiK i. >t 

^""^' ' under military nile, and whatever civil 

K'OVr|J..i.. - 1 1 1 f ,. . , .y. 

military ► . : 

tary offiram by lietailniK them to civil duties. Till Julv, llMH, 

th. ' .1 of t) • 

<^^ r \r^ ^. 

with him, the Taft Coniui; u t4i lay the : 

^*^'*^ ' them hrm and emluring in iJie pnnei- 

plea o; ^ ^ i. • ^' « ♦ 

in this work, oiK 

of civil rule, with a government in which their own leuiliiiK men 



under civil rule, with .Judi?i» Tuft a« . 

" l ' then at {M-ace with the InitArd 

III 

iry Koot gave the total amount exjiemlfd by the American 

K ...nuii.-nt i " ' $170.f>(H».<H'N», and baid of 

the military : . of th- '• ".' » • -• • 

Juue IH). 1901, there were aliout 70 000 Am 

^ I to ai .iHH). Orders 



of tl 



i»- 1 



«• f. 



Twenty-fourth, and Tu >ntry and t 

Tenth Cavalry-, and when these onleni have been executed the 



OUK WUKK AS A I'lVlLlZKK. 27 



uoinber of American troops in the I'hilippines will havt- U-cu tv 
diK-ed to 18,000." 

The barv rvcitaJ ol the results iichievetl by the Taft C'ouiiui5- 
biua up to the time of the est;iblishmeut of supreme civil govern- 
ment is a really marvellous ht4jry. I'rovineial government's hail 
been established in nearly all the provinces and municipal gov- 
ernments in nearly all the larger towns. A eivil service law had 

|„ ♦•-1. i-uffor s«-veral years had \x'vi\ working ailniirably, 

V. tor application of the merit system than any simi- 

lar law 111 the United States. Four million dollars had been 
a . :^ .1 . -i, I road improvements. A public seliool 

j5j . , ' \ . icon teaclie IS and -,.")( H) Filipino teach- 

ers, bad been esUiblished and si'hools had been oiKMied in .VH) of 
the IMX) towns ill •■ ' ' In addition normal an»l manual 

train"' - •' •■■'-' > . . ;.iui2ed. There had U-en e.slablished 

'^ jii . .», witli a supreme court made up of three 

American ami four Filipino . with ap|»ellate jurisdietitm, 

and t '• '.rial district < '^ •'••neial, civil, and erimi- 

iml ^ ,. A h»<-al p .lar i'onstabulary force 

had Um-ii orK^iized with 5,(H)0 men, aiwut l."»0 in each province, 

>ii and ' Filipino, of whi<*h 

I,,, , . *• I an ,, to Hay tliat thus far 

till. , n iif tht* . lary system has l)een most satisfac- 

tory, and i ') is rapidly disapiK'aring. Tlie 

' • i.iufv.-. has U*en very carefully made. 

I only n*sident.H of the province for serv- 

ice in the provuiw avonls the danger of abusi! and looting by the 

' ' ' In a force of some 

few desertions. The 

- I . . 

the Philippine government ^'2uO a man yearly, 
ou tiie average." There liad als<i Ix-en e.s* d a Meallh De- 

......... ^.jiij |,^.j^| h,.alth -.; wn all parts ol 

1 Itural Uureau, Hureau of Mining, Huirau of 

Kthnologv, a Itureau of Forestry, and a Postal 8yst«'ni. Thus 
f.ir the ' ' ' '' sporting, its in<*ome in-ing 

,„„^tlv :. . - ... . " y ^l»i'* i^ " re<!ord of prog- 

ie>«. m 1.-.S than two }eais which is a striking tribute to Gov- 
ernor Taft's ability as an administrator ami to Ameriean capae- 
ily in the work of civilization and colonization. When it is 
added that on July 4, 11M).S, a proclamation was is.sued granting 
amnesty to all Filipino prisoners, including Ag\iinaldo, and that 
no outl)rcak of any kind ha.s followed to disturb the p^'ace of the 
islands, the record <.f pacitication is seen to be complete, thus 



38 i)rK WiUCK AS A I'lVlLl/KH 



Miy to a rapul cimtinuaiK^e of the civiH/in^ work •)• 



I ' .1' I > 



1» -«*rvic© to oivilizatiou (lovenior Tuft wan the 

U*atliiiK lorct*, the domiuatiiiK iiiHufiic«, aa di«tiiictly as waa (ten- 
*ral NVikhI ill <'uba. V ^ f )ii8 rhar- 

itoter aiiil Work, iii hia .,i : i - • •• - 

eloquent and ^'vnemiiH. It Iiam Im^mi my 

• with iiovenior iaJt aince liia 



]' 



% I I t 



t» I had 
hiit cit*|iartiirc to the* lalatids, and th«*it* waa )»> !«• in him 



l» i . U. an 

ua with th« 



that waa to htdp his country to wdre Uw tww |irt>blcinH which 



.111 

• m 

•an Mf ffw or no ivallj i: t fiartirulara in 



Mr 




< 'oUll, 


rial 


fu: 


hiiu 


ft. 


the 


iMla 



to mat) out hit i all i: 



to 



which hv pn^aentcd with auch ability and ' aa to 

• ai 4>1 lht» J*oj»© 



\\ li:it th<- l'r\*N:(lciit said id i mi tM*r«otiHl knowl* 



If but that if a Yarancy we: r then he did 

I .. . ; ,..'.-- ; ,. 

I ::«d: "Mr. l*ref .i alwn; my dream to l»e in the 

Supreme Court; i*ut if you should offer me a justiceship now 



OL'K WOKK AS A CIVILIZEU. 29 



and at Uie same tiino Congix-is sliould take off entirely my salary 

as govvnior, I should go straii^ht back to tho Philippiues never- 

theleaji; for * -t uie back and bo- 

• ^ v^ ■• *f .4* .... i... .J, ...ic " .io met Governor Taft 

il liun imbued witli tlii.s spirit and concurreil 

ii'-artily with ilie estimate whicli the President made of hiiu after 

- ^f ' ' ' . ,. as a fricn.l 

^ . along t V ajid u _ 

path of self*^oveniment; to do his part, and a great part, in 

of honor and of s^k)«1 faith 

• 'h justice and wiili that 

. li is only another side of 

jU-1' ii > to do all that because it is his duty 

at i It. \>e filiated, we Americaus, that 

we . .1 felloe A ** 

T!IK FICIAUS' LANDS. 

In no pnrt of hi* ifr»»«t t««k in the Philippines has Governor 
Taft (1 111 that relating to the disposi- 

Me ' I at the start 

'.he pr«' .. lor unh-ss the 

!. i: . • tld be -d permanently from tlio islands there 

.. .ii 'tion of pacitica- 

* .. . i.^ .... II wliich all tho 

wa.<i thRt of li . to tho friars. 

Ihis was ii»oii tiie d {tower which tho friars ex- 

liatllo of Manila I'ay. 

were tho poli««'nien ol 

Spain. 1 jKJwer in every municipality 

I thfli . '.i'h' 

•■'• 4. . t ...w . . ^- ;.. lal, 

be cli ^ nment." NVhih- 

the K of thi*so iKin^hes were Catholics and devoted to 

l),.-ir ' ^' • ' - ' .'. '' • • i ot 

i:i«- <"......_ _, ; -- . - ^ -- . 1 t ion 

ak'ainst Spain, shortly lx>foie th<* Ixittle of Manila, was caused 
largidy by hatn.»d of the friars, 'tO of whom were killed in it, 
anil .*K)<) of wh'-m wen* prisoners when the Americans took ]"- 
session of Manila and nd('a>ed thein. They owned in van 
provinces about 41.^,000 acres of land, some of which they had 

I and other i s. Af 

., . ,- . .. ; .1. : or more, the i. -. vere un. 



.'^> ^n \: WiMxK AS A ri\lJ,l/KU. 



collect any iviits from the people occupying the lauils, but under 
the Treaty of I'aris they were lawful owners of tin* lands, were 
entitleil to tlie use of tlieni and tlie fruits nf thcni, and if they 
were allowed tu n-turn and se.k to enforce the ri^'hts of owner- 
shii> the certain result would be riot and insurrection. What 
(iovernor Taft ])roposed was the ]>urc}iasc of the lands from them 
by the I'nited States government and their sale in small hold- 
ings to the present t^Miants, on long an«l easy paynients, the gov- 
ernment \o issue bonds in an amount sutHcient for the ].urc]iase, 
and the proceeds of sales to go into a sinking fujid feu- tlie re- 
demption of the ix)nds. <V)ngress authorized this proceeding, 
and ni Decemln'r, l*>0:i, all the lands were lM)uglit for .S7,LV*I^>,- 
<>0(), with the e\ce].tii»n of al»out 10,000 aeres that had Ikhmi sold 
to a railway company. Al)out three-fifths of the lands purchase<l 
are higlily cultivated and thickly inlialtited by thousands of t<>n- 
ants. In his tinal report as Civil (Jovernor, j)revious to leaving 
the islands to assume the duties of Secret4iry of War at Wash- 
ington, Mr. Taft sai<l, in siH'aking of this tnuisaction : 'It is not 
thought that the income froui the islands for several years will 
l>e enough to meet the actual outgo, but with a restoration of 
normal conditions— speaking for my.self alone — I hope that the 
lands will sell for as much as we liav.» j>aiil for them. Other 
memU'rs of tlie (\)mmission do not think so. It is to Ik* noted, 
however, that the insular government has not entered ujum the 
purchase of these lands with a view to a protitalde investment, 
but that it is knowingly paying a considerable sum of money 
merely for the purjiose of riihling the administration of the gov- 
ernment in the islands of an issue dangerous U^ the ]>eace and 
prosperity of tlie jH'ople of the islands. 

" FoHowing the policy which it wils announced by tin- Vatican 
would be j>ursued, tlie bishops who were Si)anish friars in all the 
dioceses of the islamls have Im'pu allowed to resign an<l their 
places have Ix-en filletl by American Catholic bisho])s. I cannot 
statfl with too much euiphasis the .satisfaction I fe(d in this 
change. It means, in my judgment, the Ix^ginning of a new era 
in the i.slands. It is to lx» exjiected that a large i»art of the j»eo- 
ple of the islands will continue to l)o communicants of the Roman 
Catholic Church, and it cannot but have a liberalizing effect 
upon them that their bisliops shall be Americans with American 
ideas of a separation of church and state, and with the American 
respect for individual rights and individual liberties." 

It may be well, in order to complete the record, to cite what 
President McKinley said to Judge Taft, when he selected him 



OUR WORK AS A nvILIZKR. M 



to go tx) the Philippines. It is very like in tone and temper to 
what he said to (leneral Wood, in his speech at a banquet 
whieh was given in his honor by his fidlow citizens of Cincinnati, 
after his appointment, Ju<lge Taft said: "The high and ])atriotic 
purpose of the I'resident in the present juin*ture is to give to the 
j)eople of the Philip])ine Islands the best civil government which 
lie can provide, with the largest measure of self-government con- 
sistent with stability. He seeks only the welfare of the Filijnno 
and the iMnterment of his condition." Speaking for him at the 
same time, Judge Taft said: "The problems seem certainly for- 
midable enough. It will t^xke patience, persistence, and tact to 
work them out. Doubtless we shall make mistakes which will 
de.serve criticism, but if we maintain our purpose steadfast, to do 
nothing save for the good of the Filipino people, we ho]H\ in 
spite of their formidal»le character, to surmount the obstacles 
and win success. If we can thus relieve a hitherto unfortunate 
and oppressed ])eople from the evil of three centurit^s of misgov- 
ernment the end will K' worth the struggle." In his formal in- 
structions to the Taft rommission, President McKiidey said: 
** A high and sacrecl obligation rests upon the government of the 
I'nited States to give protection for pro]H'rty and life, civil and 
religious freedom, and wise, firm, and unseltisli guidanc(> in tli(^ 
paths of ]K\ace and ])rosperity to all the ])eoi)le of the Philippine 
Islands. I charge this commission to labor for the full ))erform- 
anee of this oblignti-.n, wliich (v^ncenis the honor and conscience 
of their country-.' 

A few months later, in his letter accepting a nMiomination, 
IMesident McKinley said: " It is our ]mrpose to establish in the 
Philippines a gov<«rnment suitable to the wants and conditions of 
the inhabitants, and to pre))are them for self-government, and 
to give them self-i;overnment when they are ready for it, and as 
r:ij)idly as they are ready for it." It is because these instruc- 
tions have l)een carried forward in letter and in spirit that the 
work which we are doing in the Philippines is a great service to 
the civilization of the world. 



f ONE COPY BKOv 



SEP 89 1904 






LBJL '05 






LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



013 980 299 8 




*»5s^^" 



.\^:' 



l^:\ 



